Fix the Broken Inside
by MissCallaLilly
Summary: Oh wow, my first attempt...I am shaking and excited. I have so much respect for everyone on this site. I got this little niggle that started in my head that a certain character was causing, this is about Curran trying to fit back into the colony, I hope.
1. Chapter 1

Click, the counter arm flipped over - 2:15 am. The night air was soft, warm and fragrant from the flowering bushes outside the window. Stirred only by an occasional breeze and the muted cries of the nocturnal wildlife, the night air spilled into the room. The curtains at the open window fluttered when caught by the wind, the only movement in the darkened room. The figure on the bed did not move, except for the eyes which would flicker from the ceiling to the window curtains and then back to the red digital numbers on the alarm clock across the room. Click, the counter arm flipped over - 2:30 am. There was a slight huff of exasperation from the occupant of the bed. Still no sleep and it appears not the slightest chance of it tonight. Once again, his weary brain told him. Every night was the same now. After working ten, sometimes sixteen hours a shift, his body and brain exhausted, he would fall into bed, and immediately drop into a deep sleep. The problem was the sleep only last for about three hours before the nightmares would start. Never the same dream, but always the same person. And the blood, and the screams that had him jerking awake, his body covered in sweat, his own screams hovering in the night air. Which was worse, no sleep - or the nightmares that haunted him. Inhale - slow, deep breath. Hold it for a count of ten; relax the body, breath out slow. NOTHING... Just a bone-deep exhaustion... "I need sleep, I know this. I know this because I am talking to myself." Eyes slid to the alarm clock again. Click, the counter arm flipped over - 2:45 am. "That's it!" With a quick motion, his feet were over the side of the bed. Pulling his shirt over his head and balling it up, he tossed it with a curse into the corner as he headed for the bathroom.

Turning on the shower spray, he kicked out of his sweats, gritted his teeth and stepped into the cold water. He forced himself to turn slowly, taking the brunt of the spray on his back, and then rotated several times until he was completely soaked. Teeth chattering, he turned the water over to hot and stood there until the chattering stopped. He stepped out, grabbing a towel and began to dry off. The motion of his reflection in the bathroom mirror caught his attention, but he refused to turn. Instead, he tilted his head downward as he continued his task. As he finished, he paused, towel in hand. It was a ritual for him, since rejoining the colony. Facing himself in the mirror, trying to dig inside himself, to find what was so broken, or corrupt, that would cause him to... Knowing what he had to do to get through the day, he took a deep breath to steady himself, set his jaw and raised his head.

"Well crap!" The bathroom mirror was fogged over. Shaking his head in disgust, he wiped the condensation from the mirror with his towel. Dark eyes stared back at him, haunted and exhausted. Black hair clipped military short, tanned skin with a decided gray pallor from lack of sleep. Almost of its own accord, his right hand stretched out to the mirror, to his reflection. The trembling hand in the mirror caught his attention, he stopped and looked down, surprised, almost fascinated by the trembling. Taking a shaky breath, he closed his hand into a fist, and released the breath he had unknowingly been holding. " I have got to get a grip" he muttered. His mind ran over his schedule for the day, today was his off day, down time. No one needed him to fill in, no one needed a day off. Commander Taylor had already addressed the issue of his work schedule, or rather the over work, and actually ordered him to have time scheduled off. Twenty four hours of emptiness ahead to fill. Physical limbo, as his mind was already starting down the dark road, Foster's face flashing through his memories, smiling and laughing at a prank they had pulled on Dunham, grimacing in disgust when on latrine cleanup detail after Lt Washington caught them plotting their next prank, and the concentration and alertness when they were on patrol. Those were before... Before the gambling, and the "woman" Foster became involved with, and the money. Curran swayed slightly and grabbed the side of the sink, head hanging as self loathing rose up in a sudden swell. And don't forget, some evil little voice whispered ….The surprise on Foster's face, when Curran had offered to swap shifts with Foster, after only the day before refusing. After another argument about the money that was owed, and Foster's threats to go to Commander Taylor. About the money, and the gambling. Now, in hindsight, Curran couldn't understand why he just didn't tell Foster to go ahead. He was just as deep into it as Curran and the other soldiers. A six week, or even longer trip OTG to some far off outpost would be most welcome now. He raised his head, staring at his reflection again. Foster's laughing voice surfaced once again, back before their troubles started.

" Damn Timmy boy, why do you keep making the same mistake with the women?" Curran was still rubbing the side of his face, red and stinging from the slap that the pissed off red-headed female just delivered. Foster was chuckling and shaking his head. Despite just getting the bejesus slapped out of him, Curran was watching the fiery red-head stomp away through the bar, a look of appreciation on his face at the curvy backside. Curran drug his eyes back to Foster, puzzled. "What do you mean, problem? I just had one of the best weeks of my life with , uh with Brenda." Foster, lifted his glass with a chuckle, "Tim, her name is Belinda. Brenda was the one with the short black hair, 3 weeks ago." Curran grinned, "Hey good times all around." Foster looked at him with a suddenly somber look. "And the next one is? Tim, my man, you are seriously in denial. And running out of females to play with. We aren't exactly flowing with a lot of choices, and you can't even get some of your ladies to walk pass you, much less talk to you, afterwards." Foster took another drink from his glass, as Curran just stared at him open-mouthed. "Foster, man, are you okay?" Curran lifted his shoulders in a shrug, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Foster looked at him over his glass, and Curran could see he wanted to say more. Foster set the glass down, cupping his hands around it, as he pondered whether to say anything else. Curran waited, suddenly somber and sober. Foster nodded, "You're right, If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Then he hesitated. Curran, sighed, "There's But... right?" Foster grinned at his friend, " But if it is broke, you have to fix the broke from inside." Curran stared at him, confused. "What the hell does that suppose to mean?" Foster shrugged, and chuckled, "Just something my grandpa used to say. I never understood it either at the time." "You mean you do now?," Curran asked. Foster smiled, as he emptied his glass. Setting it down he motioned to the waiter for refills. "Yes, thanks to you, Buddy, I do now." Curran burst into laughter. As the memory faded, determination settled on his face. "I understand now Foster, my friend. "

Click, the counter arm flipped over - 3:00 am. Coming out of the bathroom, short black hair wet, he pulled on running shorts, t shirt and shoes, ensuring his ID tags where around his neck. He headed out the door, going for a run, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Physical exercise, hopefully physical exhaustion this way. Maybe he could catch some sleep later. At the door, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the clock. Click, the counter arm flipped over - 3:02 am. He stopped, glaring at the alarm clock, as if it was the sole cause of his sleeplessness. A small glint of mischievousness appeared in his eyes, the first real emotion he had felt in, well since he couldn't remember. He yanked the cord from the wall, rolled it around the clock, and without looking, tossed it over his shoulder, where it hit the rim of the trash basket, and toppled in with a satisfying thump. As Curran shut the door behind him, and took off at a slow trot, the smile took over. Click that, he smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

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**Chapter 2**

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my story. Thank you for the patience as I work my way through, I am still learning my way though the Fan Fiction world. The rules and the acronyms and such. I'm not sure right now how many chapters are in the works. I'm not even sure yet if Wash is in this or not. Curran is driving this, even if he doesn't know it. I'm trying to keep up and work out the plot bunnies. And I want to add to this I do not own the characters or situations that I borrowed from other Fanfiction writers. ( RoryFaller, Fallensurvivor and ramfan, to name a few. You guys rock and are my inspiration) Please read, enjoy and review. **

**Disclaimed - I do not own Terra Nova, or the characters. Dang it. **

His feet striking the ground barely made a sound, as he covered the running trail that followed the fence line that surrounded Terra Nova. Sweat soaked through his shirt, and ran down the sides of his face and neck. Alternating between a steady, ground eating pace, and sprints that tested his endurance, Tim kept his focus on the path in front of him. So far, the only people he had seen were the night patrols going about their duties. They gave him either a nod of acknowledgement or a wave as he passed. A quick glance at the lightening color of the sky told him dawn was fast approaching. Two more clicks passed, and he noticed others runners, singles and pairs, were starting to appear and head off down the path in different directions.

Ever since the Eleventh Pilgrimage and the ensuing battle with The Phoenix Group had finished, ending with Commander Taylor re-taking Terra Nova, Curran had been constantly working on regaining his Commander's trust and approval. He was working longer hours, and training harder. And he was staying out of Boylan's bar, which was a start at building the new Tim Curran. The new Private Tim Curran. Commander Taylor had taken his rank, busted all the way back to Private, but Tim understood the reasoning. He was getting a chance to start his life over, and he wasn't going to mess it up this time. His off time was being spent at the range, in the motor pool, and in the gym. And getting back in synch with his fellow military members. Of all the soldiers, SGT Reynolds was one of the more accepting of his return into the military, along with Brady, Dunham, Jenkins, and SGT Riley. After work, Curran and Reynolds would spent time in the ring sparring and talking about upcoming training or trips scheduled for OTG. Otherwise, he was at the small house that he occupied by himself.

Recently, while sparring in the ring, and at other times, he would find Reynolds's steady gaze on him, patient and waiting. After three days of that bright, blue gaze focused on him, Curran finally came to a decision. Tim was already standing outside the ring, wrapping the tape around his hands, when Reynolds entered the gym. It was late in the evening, about 10 pm, and Reynolds had been on the range all day, dealing with newbies and other soldiers annual weapons qualifications. Curran had been one of the first ones through the qualifications that morning, and has aced all of them. Reynolds had given him a proud nod, "Congradulations, Curran. You made expert on all of the weapons with 97 %, except for the knives. But 95% isn't bad. Good job." In the past, Curran had been content to just past and qualify. Reynolds' praise made him proud, and determined to keep it up. "Thank you Sergeant Reynolds."

Now he grinned at Curran, and headed to the locker room, "I'll be right back. Just changing out of my boots." His eyes on the floor, Tim just nodded, "Okay." Reynolds stopped and looked back. "Are you alright? Tim?" Mark walked back to the boxing ring. Tim shifted his feet, and was fidgeting with the wraps on his hands. He took a deep breath, and looked up. "Mark, I've put this off too long. I need to talk to you, to try to explain…to talk," his voice faded and choked. He took a deep, shaky breath and tried again. "About Ken. I need to explain…." His voice faded out again. Mark's face paled slightly and his jaw tightened. They were alone in the gym, but there was a sudden silence that fell like a thick blanket in the room. Tim took a deep breath and tried again. "You know, when we first got here, you, me, Ken, Brady, Riley, we were really close, and excited, and, well scared spit less. At least I was," Tim gave a weak chuckle that sort of wobbled at the end, and rubbed his hand over his face. "I mean, Commander Taylor and Lt Washington handpicked us for this. We were, no, we are good at what we do, young and stupid , definitely young and stupid at times." He fell silent again, staring at his feet, his fists clenched. "Really stupid, at times," he spit out, self loathing in his voice.

Mark took a deep breath, "Tim, if you aren't ready …. Don't feel like you have to do this now. I'm glad you want to do this, but. ." Tim shook his head, "No I have to, I wanted to talk to you first. I need to talk to someone about it, because honestly, I am still trying to understand myself. I still can't believe what I did. I keep seeing his face, and I, I will live with this for the rest of my life. ." His voice broken and shaking, Tim leaned back against the sparring ring, "Commander Taylor hasn't pushed it either, but he has more pressing matters on his plate right now, and Lt Washington and Shannon, both of them scare the crap out of me. Lt Guzman and Brady are gone OTG to the Southern continent for another month and Riley, well she is not… No, I'm not sure I want to talk to her about this yet." His voice trailed off, as his eyes stung and his vision blurred as the tears came.. Mark waited quietly for Tim to regain his composure, his own heart pounding.

Tim took a deep breath, and rubbed at his face. "First thing, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for screwing up and getting so far off course from what we are here to do. I'm sorry for screwing up our friendship. I'm sorry for being a jerk. I'm sorry for the gambling. I'm sorry for the lying. I'm sorry for being….just…." his voice trailed off into a whisper, that choked at the end.

"Ken, oh God, Ken, I'm so sorry buddy…." his voice broke, and as the tears came, he slid down to the floor. His shoulders shook, as he gave in to the darkest, the grief and the pain that he had been holding at bay for so long. His cries echoed off the empty walls, making them sound even more painful and haunted. Mark walked slowly over to the towel cubby, and grabbed a couple of towels and a bottle of water before he returned to the sparring ring. He hunched down near Tim, trying to give him some time to work though the grief, and just waited. Quietly.

Slowly, the cries faded and Curran's shoulders, bent forwarded as he rested his forearms on his knees, his head on his chest. Mark slid down next to Curran, and draped one of the towels over his arms and set the water on the floor next to him. And he waited.

Tim slowly regained his composure, his breathing changing from short and choppy to slow and deep. With a deep sigh, he took the towel and wiped his face, turning his head towards Mark. "Thanks." Reynolds set with his knees up, forearms resting on top of them as he studied a dark spot on the floor. "No problem." Tim sighed, and took a long drink from the water bottle, surprised that he felt so drained, and yet somehow lighter. "That's the first time I have cried about anything since I was five years old. That was the last time I cried. My parents and my sister all died from the Desert Flu that hit San Antonio back in 2127."

Tim glanced over at Mark's bowed head. "I am truly sorry, Reynolds. I wanted to talk to you, and try to explain, but I don't even know when it went from being a fun night at Boylan's blowing off steam, to just being so caught up in the drama. And then the frustration of never been caught up enough to pay Foster and the others, and …"

Mark's head snapped up, "The others?"

Curran winced, "Yea, others. I did tell Commander Taylor, when I first came back that is, I informed him that there was a gambling racket going on and that it wasn't just friendly wagers, but serious stuff. And I know for a fact that Boylan wasn't even aware of the levels some of the guys were sinking too. I know he and Lt Washington have already, huh, chatted with Boylan. Bet that was interesting" he paused and shuddered at that thought. A huge yawn broke through, and he grinned sheepishly as Mark chuckled. "Sorry, I haven't been sleeping at all, the nightmares are ..gruesome and..." he paused. "Actually, I had planned to go talk to Lt. Guzman, but I back out." Mark looked at curiously, "Guzman?" Curran nodded, "Yea, I really didn't want to go to Lt Washington, she would have ... well, lets just said I am not that brave and I wanted to keep my hide in one piece. I would probably still been running laps around Terra Nova." They both smiled weakly. "Anyway, I meant to talk to Lt. Guzman and then he left with the Science expedition, and Brady went with him. Then the Sixers started acting up. Foster was putting on more pressure, and my dumb ass just panicked. I even thought about talking to you at that point."

Mark looked start led at that confession. Curran nodded, "Yea, seriously. I know I was always busting your chops, but just so you know, almost all the soldiers here really look up to you, whether they admit it or not. They know you are serious about your job, you are honest to a fault, and you are loyal. And after the Commander, Lt Washington and Guzman, and maybe Shannon, you are really high up on the role model list. And well, lately maybe Sgt Carter," Curran shook his head. "I really meant to talk to you about all this, and explain, but how can I explain what I don't understand. Mark, how the hell did I let this happen?" He held his hands out in front of him, still wrapped in the exercise tape. There was a noticeable tremor in both hands.

Reynolds glanced at him, noting the pallor under Tim's skin and the empty darkness in his eyes.

"Tim, we'll get there." Curran looked up, his brown eyes questioning.. "I lost one friend, I'm not losing another. It will take time, to work your way through the grief, and forgiving yourself. Then, and only then, you can start with the rest of your life. Including your friends. Foster was in this as deep as you, maybe more so from what you have told me," Mark grinned at him, and nudged his shoulder, "Besides, I like this new serious you, especially the part that keeps putting your butt back in the ring with me." He smirked at Tim, and then grew serious again. "It takes time, buddy. You have a good start now, and we'll go from here." Mark glanced at the clock on the wall. "We'll talk more, and I can't promise you that I won't get angry, or upset or sad, but we will get through it." Mark stuck out his hand. "Deal?" "Deal, and Reynolds, thanks. I won't let you down." Curran grasped his hand, and he glanced at the clock, too. 11:00 pm.

"You in a hurry to be somewhere, Reynolds?" Curran grinned and chuckled at the look on Reynolds face.

"Yea, and I'll see you tomorrow morning for patrol. 6:00 am sharp. Smart ass", Reynolds shot back as he grabbed his gear and headed out the door, leaving Curran chuckling on the floor.

Curran glanced around, he had circled the military housing area again. He tucked his head down, and kept on going for another lap.

While he had been in the Sixer encampment, he had been treated with suspicion and distrust from Mira and Carter, at first. But after intense questioning from the pair, along with Curran's bitter attitude towards Commander Taylor at the time, the camp slowly accepted his presence. Not one of them, but not an enemy either. An outcast in a group of outcasts.

For almost two weeks, Mira had someone closely shadowing him, 24-7. And as he started doing whatever small jobs around the camp that he could find, including going out with the hunting and foraging parties, his guard detail slowly ceased. He still retained his knives, but no other weapon was offered, and he didn't push the issue.

Strangely enough, the most persistent of his shadows was a skinny little kid with a long mop of brown hair, who never uttered a sound. Always just floating somewhere in the background, until his gaze would settle on the shadow, and the figure would melt away. Whoever it was never got close enough to him to identify. It definitely keep him on edge.

Tim was given a bed in one of the communal tree houses, along with four other Sixer males. They were a sullen bunch, never talking in front of him, other than to tell him what duties he had the next day.

It had taken time for the injury from the Komodo dragon to heal, and the strength to return to his leg. He s had a slight limp and tightness in the muscles, even up to the night he managed to carry Deborah Tate from the camp after being contacted by Commander Taylor's other spy in the camp. Tim grinned, more like a mole. When the Commander had told him who it was, he had about fell over in shock, in fact he had sat there for a minute with his mouth hanging open. Taylor had grinned at him, hands on his hips, proud as peacock. Then threatened to hang him by his heels over a slasher nest, if he ever told anyone. Even after he was back in Terra Nova, Commander Taylor made it absolutely clear, no one else was to know. Only if something happened to him, and he also gave him a short list of who to tell. Curran could have guessed it before he told him. Lt Washington, Shannon, Lt Guzman, Sgt Carter, Sgt Reynolds and Sgt Riley. For now though, Curran was the only one that knew, other than Taylor and the mole. However, Lt Washington was going to strangle the Commander when she found out about the whole incident. Curran with a quick grin, and then hoped he was on the other side of Terra Nova when it happened. Some of the Sixers had left Mira and joined Terra Nova, mostly women and kids, with some of the men who were tired of the Phoenix Group. Curran could only deduct that the individual was still with Mira's group, and he would keep the information to himself. He actually felt some pride in knowing that this was something that Commander Taylor trusted him, and only him, with. Yes, he would die before betraying the Commander again, or Terra Nova.

A group of runners, a squad of new trainees being herded by two corporals, appeared charging around the bend ahead, and he decided to head home. A quick shower, then breakfast and then well, he would see. He had to find something to fill in the day, that didn't fall in the category of military duties or work. Aaarrrugghh, he was going to go crazy before the day was over.

He pulled his tags out from under his shirt, as he ran in place. It was 7:00 am. He decided on grabbing something to take home to eat, before heading home, as he was in the area of the marketplace. As he walked a couple of circles around the market place, cooling down as he made his decision.. He made his purchase, and turned to head home. Then a quick movement caught his attention, a small form, bent, moving quickly from behind one of the tents, arms crossed tightly in front, headed towards the botanical gardens, dark hair streaming out behind. All his senses on full alert, Curran thought, "what the hell?' and started in that direction catching another glimpse as the figure made another cross over the path, obviously trying to be inconspicuous, and failing miserably.

Tim's hand automatically reached for his communicator, then he realized it wasn't there. He caught a glimpse of a uniform, it was Dunham. Curran went up to him, and told him what he saw. As they took off together, Dunham contacted the control center, and Reynolds answered. Dunham was following Curran and relayed what they had, as they tried to catch up with the small form scurrying down the path to the garden.

"Be careful, and keep me informed," Reynolds ordered. "I have backup on the way." At the entrance to the botanical gardens, they stopped trying to determine which way to go. Dunham stopped on his left, and they checked the immediate area. Dunham stopped, and motioned to one of the gazebo's near the entrance. As they neared the structure, they heard a small, childish voice chattering away.

"And this time, no one is going to take you away. You may not be my Boxer, but you, I am going to keep and take care of. Forever and ever. I love you, Henry." There was a small giggle from the child, and followed by a chirping squawk. Both men froze and looked at each other in surprised amazement. Curran stepped up closed, Dunham on his heels, and peered inside.

On the floor was a small human child, of the female persuasion, laying on her stomach. Her back pack was open in front of her, revealing a small red and purple stripped dinosaur, the size of a hamster. It's small tail wagging, it was chirping happily in between bites of apple that the child was feeding it. Both were totally unaware of their audience, and continued their conversation. The little dinosaur, Henry if you please, chomping on the apple and chirping as the child talked and giggled happily.

Hearing footsteps coming up behind them, Curran backed up, pulling Dunham with him. Dunham looked at him, "You do know who that is, right?" Curran nodded and turned to the see who was coming up behind him. He took a big breath of relieve. It was Reynolds, with two other soldiers. Better him than Curran or Dunham, having to deal with this situation.

Reynolds came up to them, his face serious. "What was it, who was it?" Dunham grinned, "I'm out of here. You guys can handle this, I'll take the Control Center, Reynolds. By the way, where is Mr. Shannon?" and he took off, dragging the other soldiers with him.

Mark looked at Curran, confusion on his face. Curran put one finger up to his lips, and motioned for him to come with him. Still puzzled, Mark followed, then froze as he heard the child's voice. Slowly, recognition settled on his face. He groaned and put his hand up to his face as Tim grinned. Mark stood there for a minute, taking in the scene in front of him. Then he spoke.

"Zoe Shannon, what are you doing out here, and why are you not at home? And why do you have that dinosaur?"

**A/N: Okay, what do you all think of this? Please read, enjoy (hopefully) and review. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: ** **Miss Zoe and Henry**

**Okay, this is going to be a really sweet, sweet and funny chapter, and then pick up speed towards the end, I hope. But it will all tie in later on down the line with Tim's redemption for his past, and hopefully moving on with his life. Thanks to everyone for the reviews. It is an awesome feeling to know that someone likes your writings, and the encouragement, I love it. It gives me goose bumps. (Sorry, I get all gushy when I have too much coffee, but hey I am happy)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Terra Nova, neither does NetFlix. Hey, you guys at the SciFi Channel, wake up.**

Zoe Shannon was currently displaying her most disarming face, large soulful brown eyes peering upwards over a slightly pouting lower lip. All the while one could actually see the little wheels in her head spinning as she tried to figure the best way out of the current predicament she was in. Her tiny little partner in crime, Henry, peeked over her shoulder, chirping inquiringly, as the juicy apple slices disappeared from his reach.

A reluctant grin was jerking at the corner of Curran's mouth, and as he ducked his head, he shot a quick glance at Reynolds. He too was trying to keep a straight face, taking in the adorable picture in front of him. Mark took a deep breath, and put on a serious face as he faced the little girl. Curran was not that composed yet, so he just listened as he tried to stifle his laughter.

"Zoe, do your parents or Maddy, or Josh, know where you are?" Mark asked quietly, not wanting to frighten the child.

"No", she admitted, looking down at the floor of the gazebo. "Dad and Mummy went to work; Maddy is at the lab with Dr. Wallace. Something bad happened and she had to go there before breakfast." She hesitated, "Josh is still at home. He is going to walk me to school this morning."

"Does he know where you are right now, Zoe?" Mark asked.

She shook her head, "No, I snuck out. He was in the kitchen getting my breakfast. I told him I had to get my backpack. I went out the side door, after I got Henry."

Mark shook his head, his face showing his disbelieve. "And should I even ask if your family knows about Henry?"

Zoe's lip quivered even more, "Mark, do you have to tell them?"

Curran lost all pretence of a straight face, and was snorting as he turned away from the gazebo, and attempting to cover up his laughter.

The little dinosaur, evidently picking up on Zoe's distress, and was giving Tim and Mark a definitely suspicious look, the little chirps from earlier, now deeper and carrying a warning note. It had climbed into Zoe's lap, and was rubbing its head along her arm, as if to comfort her. Henry turned towards Reynolds and Curran, giving them a glare and a squawk, as if issuing a warning.

Mark threw his hands up, "Great, now she has a dinosaur for a bodyguard," he said in disgust. Curran lost control and leaned against the gazebo, laughing uncontrollably.

Mark threw him a stern look. "You are not helping here," he muttered, as he activated his comm link. "Reynolds to Command, come in". Private Dunham answered, "Command here, go ahead Reynolds." There was a hint of laughter in Dunham's voice, and Mark gave the comm link a dirty look, setting Curran off again.

"Reynolds to Dunham, see if you can locate either Mr. Shannon or Dr. Shannon. Advise them of the situation and my location. Over."

"Already made contact with Dr. Shannon, she is on the way. Mr. Shannon is also on the way, he's coming in from the weapons range with Commander Taylor. Uh, hold on Reynolds, Josh Shannon just came in." It was quiet for a few minutes, and Dunham was back on the comm link. "Josh is on his way, too. Over." "Roger, Reynolds clear. Over and out."

"If you could pull yourself together anytime soon, it would be a great help," Mark snarled at Tim, who waved a hand at him weakly.

"Okay, I'm okay," Curran wiped his face with his hand, and pulled his tags from under his shirt. "I have to get a picture of this." He stepped up to the gazebo, and smiled at Zoe. She smiled back, but warily, her dark eyes meeting his as she was securing her hold on Henry.

"Hello Miss Zoe, my name is Tim. I work with Sgt. Reynolds. May I take a picture of you and your friend?" he asked. She cocked her head sideways as she thought, and then smiled her famous "Z" smile at him. "Sure," she said. Tim felt himself smiling back, as Mark snickered beside him. "She's got another follower." Tim took a couple of snapshots of Zoe and Henry, and was tucking his tags back under his shirt, when approaching footsteps could be heard rushing up the path from the market.

Curran shot a grin at Mark, "Well buddy, I'm out of here. My day off and all," and turned to leave. "Oh no, you don't," Mark grabbed his arm. "You started this, you stay till it's finished." "What?," Curran's mouth fell open. "I didn't start anything." He squinted at Reynolds suspiciously, and smirked. "Unless you need back-up, buddy." Mark looked at him inquiringly. "Sheriff Shannon?"

Mark frowned, "Whatever, we'll decide what to call it later. You are staying, and I'll make it an order if I have to." Tim threw up his hands, "Okay, okay, it's not like I have anywhere to be today anyways."

Mark turned to face whichever parent was reaching the scene first. His relieve was plainly evident, as it turned out to be Dr. Shannon and Josh. He raised a hand to slow their rush, and put a quick finger to his lips. He looked at Curran and nodded towards Zoe, as he meet with Dr. Shannon to reassure her of her daughter's safety, and what had transpired. Curran eased over to the gazebo, and took in the forlorn look on the little girl's face.

She had her little dinosaur tucked under her chin, and was whispering to it sadly. Tim was surprised to see the little creature respond by actually rub its head against her. He briefly wondered what kind of dinosaur it was, as it fit none of the photographs he had seen, or even the one that he had first hand knowledge of.

She glanced up at him, tears in her eyes. "I guess he'll have to leave too." Curran shook his head, "I don't know Miss Zoe, that's not up to me." Desperate to keep the tears at bay, he groped for what to say. Talking to little kids wasn't something he was good at, much less a little girl. "Where did you find him?" Zoe shrugged, and looked guilty. Curran was puzzled. "I know you didn't go OTG, now did you?" he teased. She giggled, "No, that's silly." She cocked her head at him, "Why are you calling me Miss Zoe? My name is just Zoe."

Uh, oh! Tim thought, what do I say now? His eyes fell on Reynolds, still talking to Dr. Shannon, and he was struck with a sudden inspiration. He turned back to Zoe, and smiled. "Well now, this is our first meeting, and manners are very important. You are a young lady, just as beautiful and smart as your mom and your sister, so until you tell me different, it's Miss Zoe." Not to mentioned, her dad was Jim Shannon. Tim shuddered at the thought.

Tim held his breath while waiting for Zoe to think it over; she must think I'm a nut case. But Zoe just smiled and nodded, "But what do I call you? Mr. Tim?" He let his breath out slowly, "that will be fine."

She glanced at him and smiled, "Do you want to pet Henry, Mr. Tim?" she offered, holding the little creature out towards Tim. Tim and the little dinosaur regarded each other with a cautious look, neither really appearing ready to be friends. "I think I'll pass right now, Miss Zoe. Henry has had a big morning, let's not upset him any further". Apparently, Henry agreed with him, and when Zoe set him back into her lap, he gave Tim a warning look and a chirp, tucked his head under her arm, and promptly went to sleep.

"That thing is definitely creepy", he thought to himself. Curran glanced over at Reynolds and Dr. Shannon, and wondered why it was taking so long for Reynolds to explain what was going on.

"I suppose Dr. Wallace's going to be mad at me too." Zoe muttered.

Curran looked at her, "And why is that?" "Because I took Henry from his lab," she admitted. "Again." Curran's eyebrows shot up and he gave a low whistle. This whole thing was getting more interesting by the minute. "You've done this before?" he asked. "Well, I tried to, but Mum and Dad caught me," She grinned up at Tim. "It was a different dinosaur. His name was Boxer, and he had to go live with his family. I got Henry while he was still an egg, too." She looked down at the tiny creature in her lap and frowned. "I don't think he is the same kind of dinosaur as Boxer. Maddy will know. I'll ask her."

"Exactly how long have you had him, Miss Zoe?" "Three days, he hatched two days ago." Tim's jaw dropped. Dr. Wallace was going to have a hissy fit, literally. "He's a really good dinosaur, he was quiet and he slept in my backpack and everything." She tucked her head down, "Today, he just wanted to play outside. Now I might have to give him back, and Dr. Wallace will want to put him outside in the jungle, by himself and he's so small. I don't even know if his family is nearby. " Tim felt his heart tighten at the little girl's fears.

He heard the footsteps approaching from behind them, and gave her a quick warning, "Heads up, Miss Zoe. We have company."

Dr. Shannon moved up to stand next to Curran, "Hello Tim, how have you been?" Dr. Shannon had been one of the first civilians to accept Curran's return back to Terra Nova, along with Deborah Tate, who treated him like he was some sort of hero. While he was grateful for the two women being so welcoming, and civil, he knew that he had only done what a soldier was suppose to do. He had been tasked with recovering Deborah Tate, which he had done. The fact that he had been able to secure the medicine that the Sixers' had been using to treat Sincyllic fever that was an added bonus.

"I'm fine, ma'am." "Thank you for finding her." "No problem." Elisabeth Shannon turned to her daughter and gave her a firm, but loving look. "Zoe Shannon, look at me please." Zoe looked up at her mother, lip quivering and tears running down her cheeks, and tightened her hold on her pet. Curran was surprised, where had all those tears came from? "Young lady," she scolded softly, "What have your father and I told you about keeping dinosaurs? And where on earth did you get this one?" Zoe shot a guilty look at Curran, and muttered something under her breath. Her mother looked at him too, confusion on her face. "Curran, did you give Zoe the…?" her voice trailed off.

"Oh no, ma'am! No, no way," Tim shook his head, a hint of panic in his voice.

Zoe's head shot up, "No mummy, I did it. I took Henry from … from the lab." Zoe's head went back down, her hand stroking Henry's back slowly.

Dr. Shannon nodded, "I see. Then this was the source of Malcolm's urgent search of the lab last night and this morning." Elizabeth shut her eyes, and sighed. "Henry, oh dear, she named it."

About that time, a rover came tearing up to the entrance of the gardens; Jim Shannon and Commander Taylor jumped out and rushed up the walk way. Dr. Shannon placed her hand on Curran's arm, "Please stay here for a minute and talk to her, while I speak to Jim and the Commander." He nodded, and as Elizabeth left, he was joined by Mark and Josh Shannon.

Josh leaned over the railing and looked at his sister, "Hey Z," he said softly. "You really scared me taking off like that." The worry on his face was still evident. "I was afraid that you were going to get hurt."

Zoe lifted her face, tear stains on her cheeks. Curran heard Josh catch his breath. "Aw Z, don't cry." Josh came around to the opening, and bent down to his sister. Too late, Reynolds and Curran tried to warn him about Henry. The little dinosaur whirled around at the sound of Josh's voice so close, hissed and started chattering and squawking at him, all the while jumping up and down on Zoe's lap.

Josh jumped back, startled as Zoe attempted to quiet the animal down.

"Whoa, what the heck was that?" Josh asked, astonished. Curran and Reynolds were both trying not to laugh at Josh's reaction.

"You scared him," she fussed at her brother, after Henry had somewhat calmed down, and was now crunching away on another apple slice she had found in her pocket.

"I scared him? What about me?" Josh asked. Josh glanced behind them, "Uh-oh, here comes Dad and Commander Taylor, with Mom."

Reynolds stepped back, and pulled Curran with him. "Commander Taylor," he addressed his commanding officer. "Sir, if we are no longer needed, I need to get back to the Command Center," he paused. Taylor shook his head, "Hold on for a minute, both of you." He watched as Jim and Elizabeth slowly approached their daughter and began speaking softly to her. He grinned and shook his head. The Shannon family was definitely not boring, and had added spice to life daily since arriving in Terra Nova. He glanced at the two soldiers in front of him.

"Okay, Dunham gave us the short version on the radio. What happened? Curran, you go first." He nodded for him to start. Keeping their information short and concise, Curran and Reynolds briefed Taylor on what had happened, from Curran's first glimpse of Zoe trying to sneak through the market place, till his arrival. When they had finished, Taylor had a smile trying to break on his face. "Well, let me go see the source of all this commotion." He stopped and turned towards Reynolds. "Has Dr. Wallace been notified yet?" Reynolds shook his head, "Not by me, sir. We just found out were she obtained the, uh Henry from, so Dunham doesn't know that the lab was the source."

Taylor nodded, "Good, I'm going with Shannon and the Doc to let Wallace know his lab has not been invaded by Phoenix spies. This time, at least." He nodded at them, "Good job, both of you. Curran, isn't this your off day?"

Curran nodded, "Yes sir."

Commander Taylor grinned at him, "So, you see all the excitement you would have been missing, standing in the Towers? Dismissed you two, and again good job." He strode away, leaving Reynolds and Curran gaping after him.

Reynolds shook his head, "I have to get back to the Command Center." His eyes narrowed a bit. "Need to have a chat with Private Dunham about communication procedures."

Curran started laughing, "You sound just like Lt. Washington."

Mark smiled, "Thanks, I think." He looked at Curran, and was suddenly serious. "How are you doing, Tim? Can you walk with me to the Command Center? We haven't had a chance to talk in a couple of days."

Curran shrugged, and fell into step beside Reynolds. "It's about the same, with all the crazy nightmares and no sleep. I would like just one night of sleep, no nightmares" he said quietly. "Actually, after our talk in the gym that night, I have notice that the nightmares don't last as long." He admitted.

"Have you been to see Dr. Shannon, to see if she can give you something so you can sleep?" Mark asked.

Tim shook his head, "No, not yet." Mark stopped walking, so he was forced to do so too. "Why not, Tim?" he asked. Curran ducked his head, and didn't answer. Mark studied him for a minute. "Tim?"

Curran looked up, his eyes suddenly desperate, "Because, I'm afraid that I won't be able to wake up from the nightmares, okay." He let his breath out in a hiss, his chest tightened in pain and the scenes from his dreams rushed from behind the wall he tried to keep up during the day. "All the extra shifts, and working out. They help keep me occupied, keep my mind busy, so I can .. so I can" his voice trailed off.

"Forget?" Mark offered.

Curran shook his head, almost violently. "No! Not forget, I'll never forget!" He took a deep breath, seeming to realize where they were. "Just to cope, I guess."

Mark was concerned, "Look Tim, as your friend, I am tell you, you need sleep. You look like Lt. Washington gave you a shiner on both eyes. How long has it been since no nightmares and you had sleep?" he asked. "Are you getting any sleep before they start?"

Curran had his eyes focused on the ground, "Since the day it happened." He admitted. His gaze locked on Mark's. "And I usually get about three maybe four hours, of sleep before they start, once I fall asleep."

Mark's jaw was hanging open. "But that's been months ago…How the hell are you even standing right now?" He gave a sharp nod at Tim as he came to a decision.

"Okay, here are your choices Tim. As your friend, I am telling you, go home take a shower, and go straight to the infirmary to see Dr. Shannon and only Dr. Shannon. You tell her what is going on; she will keep it under wraps." Mark hesitated. "Just to be on the safe side, when I get to the Command Center, I am calling her myself. And you will do what she tells you to do. Understand?"

Curran started to protest, but Mark cut him off. "Tim, if I knew it had been that long since you had slept, I would have dragged your sorry butt down there myself. You are hurting yourself, and by not seeing the doctor, you are putting others in danger. Your reflexes slow down, and your awareness and your decision making. You know this. Damn it, Curran! Washington would kick you into next month if she knew. Now, are you going, or do I have to make this an order?"

Curran nodded, "Okay, I'll go." "Damn right you will," Mark fumed. Curran hesitated, "Can I asked you something without you blowing a gasket?"

Mark was still a little hot under the collar. "What?"

"What is my other choice?" Mark gave him an evil look, blue eyes blazing. "Simple, I hit the comm link, have Lt. Washington meet us here, and she can handle it."

Tim shuddered, "I'm going!" He gave Mark a glare back. "Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," Mark snapped back. They stood there eyeing each other, and then starting laughing.

Mark clapped him on the shoulder, "Come on."

Curran looked at him, "There is one thing good about today."

"What's that?"

"Thanks to Miss Zoe and Henry, I have laughed more today than I have in a long time. I swear, that little face is priceless."

Mark looked at him, "Miss Zoe?" Curran smiled at him, "Borrowed that from you, buddy. And from the courting and the respect for women classes that Commander Taylor gave us."

Mark laughed, "See, it does work."

They were coming up to the Commander Center, and about to part. Mark gave him a warning look. "Straight to the infirmary, after you take a shower." Curran gave him a snippy look, and started to reply. At that time, Reynolds comm link crackled, and Dunham's voice came spilling out, excited and rushed.

Curran rolled his eyes at Mark, as he answered. "Reynolds to Dunham, I'm just down the street. What is the problem?" he asked, knowing how excited Dunham got sometimes.

"We just got a transmission from Outpost 5, and they had received an urgent message from Outpost 9. Outpost 9 had some bad weather, and their communications had been down for a couple of days." Dunham had to stop to catch his breath.

Outpost 5 was a scientific manned post, a little over 6-8 hour drive away, depending on the weather and the dinosaur traffic. Outpost 9 was the farthest manned outpost; it took about a week to ten days to reach it. It had just been recently re-manned after the Phoenix Group's attempted take over.

Reynolds and Curran both looked other, puzzled. "Dunham, what was the message?"

"It's Lt. Guzman and his squad! They are on their way back to Terra Nova. They left Outpost 9 two days ahead of the storm." Mark could hear the excitement in Dunham's voice. He hit his comm link, "I'll be right there. Have you informed the Commander or Lt. Washington yet?"

"No, Sergeant. I still have Outpost 5 on, and Lt. Washington is at the range still."

"Okay, Dunham. Get what information you can from them, have one of your runner start a track on the rhinos, and the rovers Lt. Guzman took with him, and pull up the roster of all the soldiers and the civilians that went with him, and run a trace on all of their ID tags. See if we can get a fix or hit or anything off them. I'll contact Commander Taylor and be right up. Where's Sgt. Riley?"

"Will do, Sergeant! Sgt. Riley is at the range with Lt. Washington. Sgt Reynolds?"

"Go ahead, Dunham."

"Outpost 5 said that Lt. Guzman has been briefed on all that happened since he left, so he will be keeping an eye out for anything suspicious." "Good job, Dunham. One more thing, check with them and see if Lt. Guzman passed on any information on any causalities, equipment loss, see if his radios in the vehicles are working, that sort of thing, so we can brief the Commander when he gets there." "We are working on that list now, Sergeant." They headed towards the Commander Center faster.

Curran looked at Mark, "If he still has Outpost 5 on the line, can they reach the guard or anyone at the range?"

The communication links still had some bugs to be worked out, and the lines actually able to be used were limited. A lot more repair work still had to be done before all the communication stations were fully operational.

Mark shook his head, his hand reaching for his comm link again. He looked at Curran, who nodded. "Already on my way," he said. Mark grabbed his arm, and pointed to the motorcycle at the foot of the Command Center. Curran grinned and jumped on the motorcycle. As he gunned it, he heard Reynolds talking to Commander Taylor on the comm link. Reynolds held up his hand for him to wait, and after acknowledging the Commander, came over to him.

"Remember, after range, home, shower, Dr. Shannon in that order." Reynolds yelled over the motorcycle. Curran nodded and headed towards the range, so much for his day off.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sweet Dreams, Sweet Sleep, Please

Well, so much for a day off. As he rounded the street corner, Curran was never more relieved to see his quarters than he was tonight. His butt was seriously dragging after the longer than expected day he had just had, and he doubted that he would need to take any of the sleep aids that Dr. Shannon had prescribed for him that morning.

Earlier that morning . . . . . After arriving at the firing range, Curran had dismounted from the motorcycle and headed to the control gate. Picking up a set of earplugs, he signed in, informed the guard he needed to see Lt Washington, per a message from Commander Taylor. The guard gestured behind him, "She's headed to the gate now." As Tim turned around, the movement caught Sgt Reily's eye, and something about his body language had her getting Lt. Washington's attention and gesturing to the guard building. Washington took in his running gear, and the motorcycle parked next to the rovers and the Rhino, and quickly headed his way, Reily right behind her.

"Curran, I take this is not a social call. What's up?" Washington asked, taking in his running shirt and shorts.

"No ma'am. Commander Taylor needs you at Command Center, ASAP. We just received a relayed message from Outpost Five, Lt Guzman and his squad and the science teams are on the way in. They should be here in 5-7 days, depending on the weather and their overall condition. Initial message didn't indicate any personnel lost, but I headed this way while Sgt. Reynolds and Dunham were still attempting to get further information, and notify personnel to meet at the Command Center."

"On my way then," Washington turned to Sgt Reily. "Since that was the last group for the night qualifications, get the range squared away and closed down, weapons cleaned, and bring them in Sergeant."

"Yes ma'am," Reily, spun on her heels, grabbed the nearest private and started barking orders. The trainees scattered in different directions, like someone had kicked an anthill. Curran chuckled as the young troops scrambled quickly to obey Sgt Reily's orders.

Washington looked at Curran, "Isn't this your off day Curran?" she asked as they headed to the parking lot.

"Yes ma'am," he replied," but well after the dinosaur and Zoe incident, I was headed home. And now I have to go to the infirmary and ….." his voice trailed off as Washington stopped in her tracks in front of him, her eyebrows arched inquiringly. "Infirmary? A dinosaur? And Zoe Shannon?"

"Crap," he thought. Knowing that Lt. Washington wouldn't leave without an explanation, Curran sighed, and pulled his ID tags from under his shirt. He pulled up the picture he took of Miss Zoe and Henry and showed them to an astonished Washington. She was quiet for a moment, and then looked at Curran, for the first time seeing how drained and tired he looked. She mentally kicked herself for not seeing the signs that should have grabbed her attention before now. Guilt, remorse, self loathing, and bone deep exhaustion was etched into his face. She handed the tags back to Curran and watched as he looked at the photos again, allowing a small smile to tug at the corner of his mouth, his eyes sad.

He ran a finger over the display before turning it off and tucking in back inside his shirt. Alicia had noted that unlike other soldiers, Curran only had three photos on his tags, the two recent ones of Zoe and Henry, and an older one of a young boy, who looked so much like the man he had become, with his arm around a small girl, who was laughing and gazing up at the older boy. The girl looked amazingly like Zoe Shannon.

Alicia looked at him curiously, "And the trip to the infirmary?" Curran coughed nervously and shuffled his feet. "Curran?"

"Sgt. Reynolds orders."

"Really," as he nodded, Alicia thought, good catch Reynolds. "When did this order happen to occur?"

"Right before we got the message from the Outpost, Lt. Washington."

Washington paused before getting into the rover, "Curran, look at me." He stopped at the driver's door. "You were and still are a good soldier, but I always knew you had it in you to be an outstanding one. It has been frustrating at times, trying to pull that soldier foward, through all the crap. I have been keeping my eye on you since you came back, and Reynolds has been briefing me, but not on whatever it is that made him order you to the infirmary." She paused reflectively. "Tim, guilt is a powerful thing, something that can weigh heavy on your mind over the littlest of things. What will bother one person, another can shrug off with ease. But when death and friends are involved, it can be a dangerous enemy, not only to you, but to the others around you. And that kind of guilt will only heal with acceptance, time, and help. Help from professionals, and your friends. When, and if you are ready to talk to me, let Reynolds know. Or you can come see me anytime."

Curran looked at her," If?"

She nodded, "I think you and Reynolds can handle it. Providing you two have worked out your past differences?" She raised one eyebrow inquiringly.

Curran winced, "That was all on me, being nothing but a jackass, I mean, a jerk. Sorry ma'am." He caught himself, "Sgt. Reynolds has been nothing but helpful. And, I would appreciate a chance to talk to you later, if you don't mind. "

Washington nodded at him, then jumped in and started the rover.

While Curran felt oddly comforted that while she hadn't yelled at him, it also felt different. Not wrong, but out of kilter from what he was used to. "Yes ma'am." He got on the motorcycle as she entered the rover. She stuck her head out the window, "Curran, just one more thing."

He paused, "Uh, yes ma'am?" Huh-oh, here it comes, he thought. He drew a deep breathe.

"Really cute pictures," Alicia gunned the rover and headed towards the Command Center, leaving Curran staring after her, bewildered.

After dropping the motorcycle off at the Command Center, Curran broke into steady jog, headed home for a quick shower, a bite to eat, and then, shudder, the infirmary. Once inside his quarters, he went straight to the kitchen and yanked open the door to the fridge. Empty. Shutting the door, he leaned his head on it and gritted his teeth. Today, his day off, he had planned on doing a grocery run. Curran looked over at the cupboard doors, knowing what was behind them, or rather not there. He looked down at the storage drawer, "Third times the charm," he thought and pulled the drawer. Bingo! "Well, sort of," he muttered sourly, grabbing a couple of ration bars out of the drawer. Tearing the packets open, he headed for the shower.

Twenty minutes later, showered, shaved and in uniform, with another power bar in hand, he headed to the door and opened it. He stopped. There stood Reynolds, his hand raised to knock.

What the hell ... "What are you doing here, Reynolds? I'm on my way to the infirmary right now, I swear."

Sgt Reynolds smiled. "Courtesy escort, let's go."

.

He grimaced as he remembered the dressing down that Dr. Shannon had given him, and swore that he was going to get even with Reynolds for that. She had actually only raised her voice for a minute, long enough for half of the staff in the infirmary to know what she thought of his decision making, in regards to his health. After that, her voice was firm and no nonsense, but calm and reassuring, as Tim had sat on the bio-bed, head down, answering her questions, "Yes ma'am, No ma'am." And the entire time, he was feeling like he was five years old again, and his grandmother had caught him shoving whatever he could find into the heating duct in the living room.

They were in a private cubicicle, so Tim felt more comfortable answering her questions.

Standing in the corner, Reynolds had tried to hide his grin behind his hand, as she went through Curran's medical files, making notations, and giving an occasional "Tsk tsk" while shaking her head. Without turning around, Dr. Shannon commented, "Pvt. Curran, you are almost as bad about taking care of your health as a certain Sergeant I know use to be, right Mark?" Mark only grinned more, not at all put out, "Yes Ma'am, but I learn fast." Dr. Shannon shot Mark a quick glare that softened to a smile as she shook her head.

Turning back to Curran, her smile disappeared, and she was all professional again. Curran had a feeling he wasn't going to like what she had to say.

"Okay, first the good list- your weight is acceptable, no problems with your heart, and hhmm. That's about it for that list." Tim's felt a heaviness sink around his shoulders.

Dr. Shannon looked at him, "Tim, it's nothing that can't be corrected. Your blood pressure is way too high, 185/99, you have the beginnings of ulcers, but your diet is partially to blame for that and the headaches. Medication and a proper diet will help correct and control those."

Tim looked at her, worried. "And how long will I have to take the medicine? Will it affect my work? Will I have to leave the service?"

Dr. Shannon threw up her hand, "Hold on, hold on. You do as I say, and this will all right itself out in the end. You just stick with the medication and the diet, and your symptons will improve. But if you don't then I'll have no choice but to refer you to Commander Taylor for dismissal, understood?" She asked in a firm, no nonsense voice. Tim nodded.

Now Mark looked worried, "Dr. Shannon, what about the nightmares and the not sleeping?" He glanced at Tim, who was still trying to take it all in, and looked dazed and confused.

"Okay, first thing is to not panic, either of you. Tim, I am not a psychiatrist or a therapist, but we all," her glance at Mark and back to Tim indicated the three of them, " know the main cause of your nightmares", she said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder. She felt the muscles in his body start to shake. "Tim, listen to me. This is the first step, okay?" She exchanged a worried look with Mark. "You do need to start seeing Dr. Bryce, do you understand? I can set up an appointment for you. As far as sleep, working yourself the point of exhaustion is not the answer. For tonight, I can give you something, but you will see Dr. Bryce, tomorrow, before I can prescribe any other medications. In fact, I will speak to her before you leave. What are you doing tomorrow so I will know when to schedule?"

Mark spoke up, "Dr. Shannon, whenever Dr. Bryce wants him here, he'll be there. I'll take care of any scheduling conflict that comes up. Everything else can wait. This takes priority." He stepped up to the bio-bed. "Tim, come on man, I'm here for you. We can do this," he encouraged.

Curran looked up, silent tears running down his face. "Why, Mark? Why are you doing this? Why help me?" His voice was low and throbbed with pain. "I killed our friend, over money. And nothing will ever change that. I just can't understand. Commander Taylor, you, people wanting me to keep on going and living after what I did." His voice trailed off on a whisper.

Mark glances at Dr Shannon, who made another note in Tim's file. She put the plex on the bed, and turned to Curran.

"Tim, I am going to ask you something that is probably going to make you very uncomfortable, and possibly angry and upset. But before I do, I want you listen to me. Do not answer me after I ask the question until I tell you to, do you understand? And I want you to answer honestly," She glanced over at Reynolds," and you need to keep quiet, no butting in, no protesting, no judgement. Do you understand?" Reynolds was confused, but nodded his agreement.

"Good", she turned back to Curran. "If you want, I can have him wait outside, because this is very personal." Curran shook his head and took a deep breath, "No it's okay. Go ahead Dr. Shannon."

"All right then. I want you to think back to the time right before all the gambling problems between you and Foster started. Think about how you were feeling on a daily basis, about work, Terra Nova, your friends, your relationships. Just for a few minutes, run everything through your mind."

Tim closed his eyes, and thought back to his first day in Terra Nova, him, Reynolds, Riley, Brady all staggering through the gate with their gear, Commander Taylor and Letiuant Washington standing there to greet them, him and his friends training in the sparring ring, trekking through the jungle carrying heavy gear, dodging the dinosaurs, and trying to outdo each other in drinking games at Boylan's bar or just messing with each other. Tim's face settled into a slight smile.

"Good. Now, just do the same with the incidents that occurred after the gambling started. Slowly, each and every incident, every word, each look, take your time and just go through them."

Sweat was breaking out on Tim's forehead; his face was slowly twisting into a grimace. His eyes opened, tear filled. "Why do I have to do this now?" Dr. Shannon patted his shoulder, "Just stay with me here, Tim. Now let me ask you this, after you were banished and Commander Taylor sent you out the gate, what was your main focus or objective? And the same question applies to your stay with the Sixers, until you returned to Terra Nova with Deborah Tate, what was your main focus?"

"My focus? I don't understand." His confusion was evident on his face, as well as Mark's.

"What were your main thoughts about, what were your main needs, your mission? What did you know that you had to do each day?"

"Oh," he thought for a minute, "Water, food, shelter, avoid the carnos and slashers and other predators," Tim absently began rubbing his leg where the Komodo had bitten him. "And sleep, I guess."

Dr. Shannon nodded, "Good. Now, did you have any of the nightmares then that you are having now?"

Curran paused while he thought about the nights in the jungle, and in the Sixers' camp. He slowly nodded, "Well I had some nightmares, but they were more on the line of what I was doing at the time. You know, being exposed by the Sixers as eyes and ears for Commander Taylor, Commander Taylor changing his mind about me coming back, and then…" he shuddered. "I did dream about my parents once or twice, my grandparents and my sister," he whispered. "I haven't had that one in a long time."

Mark looked at Dr. Shannon, "Does that play into his current nightmares?"

She nodded, "Remember, I am not a therapist or psychologist, but yes I think it does."

She put her hand on Curran's shoulder to get his attention, "Curran, look at me." He raised his head, "Yes, ma'am?"

"Have you ever had any thoughts about hurting yourself? Or had any thoughts of suicide?" she asked gently.

Curran's head jerked back in alarm, his eyes wide, and nostrils flared. "No, no way! Never! I would never do that. Do you think I would?" He was highly agitated, as he regarded the Doctor's questioning gaze, and then ducked his head as tears filled his eyes.

Reynolds' face paled as he fully took in Dr. Shannon's soft query. He shook his own head, Curran would not do that. He hesitated, as he looked at his friend, suddenly unsure.

Curran caught the look, and shook his head violently. "No, Mark, no way. I wouldn't. I promise." He turned to Dr. Shannon, his heart pounding, mouth dry, and his hand were shaking violently as they lay on his knees.

Dr. Shannon's voice was low and firm, "Tim, I am not asking you this to upset you unnecessarily. But this is something that has to be addressed, due to the issue of you not being able to sleep." She paused and looked at him, "Also, until you do see Dr. Bryce, I am recommending that someone be close by you until then, and overnight also."

Curran's head came up at that, ready to protest. She cut him off easily, "I'm sure that this is something that Sgt Reynolds and you can work out without involving, oh say, Lt Washington or Commander Taylor, correct?" She looked at Reynolds, who nodded. "No problem Dr. Shannon," he looked at Curran, "No problem, right Private Curran?" Reynolds pulled rank on him in that one comment. Curran sighed, defeated. "No problem, Sergeant."

Dr. Shannon smiled at them, and then looked at Curran. "Are you even remotely sleepy right now?" "No," he admitted, "tired, but not sleepy."

"Hhmm, alright, today is your day off? Mark, you probably have a full schedule today, right?" "Yes, ma'am, but he can follow me today; I can use him as a runner." He grinned at Curran. "Good, I'll schedule his appointment with Dr. Bryce, and fill your prescription for a sleeping aid for tonight." She paused, and smiled suddenly, a devious look in her eyes.

Reynolds caught that gleam, "Uh, Dr. Shannon, what are you up too?"

"Reynolds, you will bring him to see me at approximately 1730 hours, so I can dispense his meds to him. And at that time, I will be at my residence. And you two will join us for dinner tonight."

Both young men looked at her like she had just lost her mind, and starting verbally protesting. She held up her hand, effectively silencing them both. "Those are doctor's orders. I will not take no for an answer. Beside, a certain Miss Zoe is asking about her friend, Mr. Tim. She assures me that Henry wants to see him also."

As Tim's cheeks turned bright red and Mark chuckled, and looked at Dr Shannon, "Ma'am, what about Mr. Shannon? Will he know before we get there?" She chuckled, "I'll handle him, just show up when you are supposed to be. And don't make me send out a search party," as she left the cubicle.

"Yes, ma'am," they chorused. Tim looked at Reynolds, and raised his eyebrow. "Think we'll live through tonight?" Reynolds looked doubtful. "It will definitely be an interesting night," he said as they left the infirmary.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

**Last chapter was posted in a post surgical haze (minor procedure no worries, but apparently my state of mind was hilarious to my daughter) - my apologies everyone. I had intended to make it longer anyways. **

**Okay, I forgot to do this last chapter. I do not own Terra Nova- Dang it. **

Clutching a small purple stuffed dinosaur in his hand, Tim pushed open the door to his house, went inside and shut it behind him, leaning on the wall for a second. Taking a deep breath, he shoved off the wall and headed for the bedroom. He started shedding his uniform in a trail to the foot of his bed, and after tossing the small stuffed creature on the bed, he headed for the shower. In accordance to the agreement that was made with Dr. Shannon and Sgt Reynolds, he was going to spend the night at Sgt Reynolds's house and go to his appointment in the morning, right after breakfast.

Tim set the water to hot, and stepped in, letting the warmth loosen his muscles, and relax him. He purposely blanked his mind, and just absorbed the heat from the water. He leaned forward, his head on the shower wall, and waited for the water to cool. After the water begin to both cool, and the water pressured dropped, he turned off the flow, and grabbed a towel as he exited the shower. He stopped in front of the bathroom mirror, it was fogged up again. He smiled as he wiped the condensation from the glass, a repeat from earlier this morning. His entire life had undergone a drastic change in the past twenty four hours. For the first time, since his return to Terra Nova, he was starting to feel some hope for his future.

Tim pulled on his sweat pants, and grabbed a shirt and yanked it over his head. He pulled on a pair of socks and slipped his feet into a pair of sneakers. He grabbed a uniform pants and shirt from the closet, along with a black t shirt and uniform belt, and slid them into a carry bag. He also gathered his personal items, his shaving kit, and his boots and a pair of socks, which joined the other items in the bag.

Next to the bed, he hesitated as he picked up the small dinosaur Zoe had given him after dinner. His eyes clouded, as one hand moved up to clasp his ID tag. He hesitated, then activated it and pulled up the pictures. A smiling Zoe and with Henry peering over her shoulder on the first two frames, brought a quick grin to his lips. The next one of a young boy with his arms around a younger girl caused the grin to fade. A sharp pain shot through his chest and he frowned, turning the display off. One hand on his chest, he shook his head to clear the memories, refusing to relive the past.

He placed the stuffed animal on the center of the bed, grabbed his bag and started towards the front door, to wait for Sgt Reynolds. Out of habit, he glanced at the alarm clock on the table for the time. Well, where his alarm clock was setting before this morning. He sighed, stopped and pulled the clock from the waste basket where he had deposited it earlier. Setting it on the table, he plugged it back in the wall, and reactivated the settings.

He picked his bag back up and passing the kitchen, he grabbed an apple from a bowl sitting on the counter. He pulled the front door closed behind him, and settled down on the front porch to wait for Sgt Reynolds. He took a bite from the apple as he tried to settle his emotions. It had been a very interesting day.

His mind was in a befuddled fog, the past several hours could be described as strange, but also amusing. The Shannons were a lively bunch, to say the least. Curran smiled as he remembered the incident earlier in the day at the Command Center, when he and Sgt Reynolds had witnessed Zoe Shannon save her Henry.

Thank goodness for Zoe, oops, Ms. Zoe and Henry. The little dinosaur was now a member of the Shannon household. And Curran was one of the few people that Henry would allow near him, without chirping and hopping up and down, basically throwing an old fashioned "hissy-fit" as Jim Shannon put it.

Dr. Wallace had thrown his own "hissy fit", when Henry refused to have anything to do with him. That and the fact that Commander Taylor would not force Zoe to surrender Henry back to the lab; this was after Dr. Wallace had admitted that Henry was not going to get much bigger, and was neither poisonous nor aggressive. Except to certain individuals, ones that attempted to take Henry away from Zoe.

Dr Wallace was now nursing a bandaged finger, courtesy of Henry, and a sore shin, that was from Zoe. After speaking with Jim and Dr. Shannon in regards to the little creature staying with Zoe, Commander Taylor had told Dr Wallace if he could convince Zoe to part with Henry, then by all means, he could take Henry back to the lab. Dr. Wallace had approached Zoe, who was standing in front of the Commander's desk, with Henry sitting on her shoulder, talking quietly, "Now Zoe, sweetheart, you know Henry doesn't belong in a house. We need to study him, and find out what kind of dinosaur he is, and if there are any more of his kind. I understand that he is very smart, and can understand things you say to him, but he would be better off in the lab. You could still come and visit and play with him." Dr Wallace was so intent on Henry, while trying to persuading the child, that he forgot that she was in the room.

To the amazement of the others in the room, Zoe did not break into tears or her famous smile, or pout. Instead, feet planted squarely, hands on her hips; she faced Dr. Wallace, with a hit of her father's smile lifting the corner of her mouth. This was a side of Zoe that her parents had never seen before, and a soft, "Oh dear, that's Jim's smile" escaped her mother right before chaos had erupted.

Zoe reached up and scratched Henry under his chin, and her eyes never left Dr. Wallace's. "You want him, come and get him," she said dangerously. Well as dangerously as a six year old can sound, and tucked her head a little lower. Jim Shannon's jaw dropped, as his little girl became a minituare version of him, right before Malcolm reached out his hand to attempt to grab Henry by the scruff of the neck.

Apparently, everyone in the room had forgotten to ask Henry his opinion in the matter, so he decided to act on his own. As Malcom's left hand darted over Zoe's shoulder, Henry chomped down on the fingers nearest to him, chirping and growling the entire time. Zoe took aim, and landed a kick on Malcolm's right shin that caused him to wobble sideway, and as he went down, she gave a short punch that landed in a tender area south of his beltline. Henry let go, and kept on chirping and bouncing on Zoe's shoulder as she stood over Dr. Wallace, squirming on the ground. For a short minute, his moans and Henry were the only sounds in the Command Center.

Dr. Shannon rushed to her daughter, "Zoe Shannon, what were you thinking?" And then Commander Taylor, Lt. Washington and Jim Shannon exploded in laughter.

Henry was still chirping away, and Dr Shannon glared at the little dinosaur, "Henry, you hush now, that's enough out of you." she said very sternly. And to the amazement of the room, he did.

"Zoe Shannon, you explain yourself immediately!" Dr Shannon demanded, as Lt. Washington moved over to Dr Wallace, to offer assistance.

"Mommy, Commander Taylor told him to ask me to let Henry go with him to the lab."

"Yes dear, I heard that part," her mother said.

"Well, no one said I had to let him go" Zoe explained. "And he started grabbing before he finished asking. He has no manners, Mommy. Henry doesn't like him." Zoe and Henry both glared at Dr. Wallace. Commander Taylor let out a snore, and turned quickly away.

Dr. Shannon closed her eyes and prayed for strength. That explanation from her daughter sounded a lot like her husband's reasoning skills. She opened her eyes, located her husband, who was still bent over laughing, and glared at him. Shannon couldn't conceal his glee; his daughter had bested Dr Wallace, with Henry's assistance. As far as he was concerned, the little dinosaur was permanent family.

And that simple, Henry stayed with Zoe. And Dr Wallace limped to the infirmary.

When Mark had collected him from his residence earlier and they headed to the Shannon residence, both men were feeling slightly apprehensive. Mark was not sure that this was a good idea. Curran was positive that this was not a good idea. Neither of them had any idea on how Dr. Shannon was going to break this news to her husband, but not showing up as she had ordered was not an option either.

Curran had tried to remember all the rules of etiquette that his grandparents had taught him, which was why he had a bouquet of flowers for Dr. Shannon. Mark had given him a strange look and raised an eyebrow, upon seeing the flowers.

"What?" Tim glared back at him, defensively. Glancing down at the flowers he held, and an large red apple, in a small bag for Zoe and Henry, Tim wondered if he was doing the right thing for his first visit to someone's residence, especially the Shannons'. He looked at Reynolds, "It's not too much?"

Reynolds smiled and shook his head, "No, it's very thoughtful. I'm just not use to this side of you."

Curran shrugged. "I have never been invited to someone's house since we've been here," he explained. "My dates were, well, a different set of circumstances." He looked down at the ground, a frown darkening his face. "Those were not exactly my most outstanding moments."

Mark bumped his shoulder against Tim's. "Leave it alone for tonight," he advised. With a smile, "I'm sure Ms Zoe will enjoy her gift, as will Dr. Shannon." he said.

Tim fervently hoped so.

As they approached the Shannon residence, Curran found his feet starting to drag a little more and more, and it was suddenly getting difficult to breathe. He stopped suddenly, unable to go any further. Mark suddenly realized he was by himself, and turned back. "Tim, what's wrong?" Curran shook his head, not able to get a reply out. He swallowed hard, mouth suddenly dry. "I can't. I can't go in there." He was unable to explain it, the burning at the back of his eyes, the tightness, no, the actual pain that was pounding in his chest.

Mark put a hand on his shoulder, "Tim, come on. Mr. Shannon's going be more focused on me, than you. Besides, I'm the one dating his daughter. And Dr. Shannon won't let him get too carried away." Mark grinned wryly, "He's really not a bad guy, and he loves his family, that's all."

Curran shook his head again, uncertainty on his face. "No, it's not that, not Mr Shannon, I just, I just have this feeling of impending trouble, I can't explain it. And its, its soon," his voice trailed off into a whisper.

Now Reynolds was starting to become uneasy, as Curran stood frozen in place. Mark tightened his grip and shook his shoulder, "Curran, hey man, snap out of it!" Tim blinked once, and then again, took a deep breath and let it out, shaking his head. "Okay, I'm okay... "Mark fixed him with a concerned glare, waiting for him to compose himself. Tim nodded his head, "Let's go." Mark stepped back, and they continued on in silence till they reached the footpath up to the Shannons' door.

Then it was Mark's turn to stop in his tracks. Curran looked back at him, puzzled, "What's wrong?" As he watched, Mark took a couple of deep breaths and then exhaled slowly, seeming to set himself a bit straighter, and with a firm nod to hmself, he continued on to the front door. Curran leaned over as Mark rapped on the door. "What the hell was that all about?" The corner of Mark's mouth turned up slyly, "You are about to see," he replied, recognizing the footsteps approaching the door.

The footsteps came up to the other side of the door, and stopped. The door did not open. Curran looked at Mark in confusion, and Mark shook his head, "Just wait" he whispered.

Lighter footsteps where heard running up to the door, "Open the door Daddy, you know its Mark and Mr Tim. Daddy why do you always do that? Stand at the door when you hear the knock?" Both men recongnized Zoe's lilting voice, and grinned at each other as she exposed her father standing on the other side of the door.

"Zoe Shannon…," Jim started, but was interrupted by his wife's voice. "Jim, open the door please."

Now sitting on the Shannon living room floor with Zoe and Henry, Tim was feeding him small pieces of apple, while Zoe chattered away. Slowly, Tim became aware of occasional glances in his direction from Dr. Shannon and Mark. Though the evening, Curran had been watching Mr. Shannon glare at Reynolds when he was being too attentive, or too close to Maddy, and Dr. Shannon was attempting to keep him in check, with an occasional elbow to the ribs. Curran smiled to himself. He had actually caught Mr Shannon watching Maddy and Reynolds talking while they were cleaning the kitchen, and Mr. Shannon had a soft smile on his face. That is until he realized Curran was watching him, and then he was suddenly on the receiving end of that infamous steely glare. Tim threw his hands up and shook his head, indicating that he was not saying anything, to anyone, at anytime. He also became very, very busy, on the other side of the room.

Dinner was amazingly enjoyable to the soldier, who was suddenly remembering meals at his grandparents' home. He seriously couldn't decide if the memories were sad or happy ones. The family teased, and poked at each other through the evening, with Dr. Shannon keeping her family in line. Maddy and Mark talking to each other softly, with Maddy blushing occasionally when Mark would duck his head and whisper to her.

Dr. Shannon had smiled when Tim had presented her with the flowers; Tim had cast a nervous look towards Mr. Shannon, hoping he wasn't offended. Shannon had studied him for a moment, and gave him a short nod of approval. Everything after that was like a regular family night. Curran realized that he had thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Before they had left, Dr Shannon had given him his medication for the night, with a reminder not to be by himself till his appointment tomorrow. Reynolds had informed her that he would be at Sgt Reynolds that night and personally escorted to his appointment in the morning. Tim rolled his eyes, and mouthed "Yes Dad" at Mark, causing the Doctor to laugh.

Making him even more at ease was Zoe insisting that he tuck her and Henry in before he left.

After they left the residence, Mark punched his shoulder playfully, "You did good tonight."

Tim smiled, "Thanks. So, how we doing this, Dad?" he smirked at Mark.

Reynolds shook his head. "You go home, take a shower, get your gear and I'll swing by to get you in about 30 minutes. I have to brief Lt Washington on tomorrow. And see if they have an update on where Lt. Guzman's convoy is." Reynolds didn't' notice the tightness in Curran's face at the mention of the convoy. "According to Dr. Shannon, that medication will put you out pretty quick, so you'll take it when we get to my place." Curran nodded quietly, and they parted at the street intersection.

Tim glanced down the street, as he finished off the last of the apple. No Reynolds yet. He leaned his head back, listening to the night sounds and trying to place each sound. It was a habit he picked up during his stay with the Sixers. Every sound had its own time and place in the night. No being able to match the sounds with the animals meant not returning home.

Earlier in the day, Curran had transported a load of supplies from the warehouse area to the infirmary. The infirmary had been especially busy due to several agricultural workers from one of the new fields breaking out in some sort of rash. As the personnel in the infirmary were very busy with the influx of patients, he had unloaded everything and stored in the supply room at the back of the infirmary. It had been very humid and warm, and Tim had removed his outer jacket, leaving just his green t-shirt on. He was sweating by the time he grabbed the last supply container from the Rhino.

"Last one, Dr. Shannon. This one has the gloves in it you needed. Do you need me to open it here, or take it on back to the storage area?"

Elizabeth stopped, "Open it, if you don't mind Tim. I'll take one of the small containers, and then you can put the larger one in the back with the others. I'll update the inventory later."

Curran pulled his boot knife, and slid it around the sealant on the container, removed a smaller box and handed it to Dr. Shannon. "Dr Shannon, can I ask you a question?" he was looking at the contents of the box curiously, and around the front reception area. "Yes Tim, what is it?"

"What will you and the other doctors use when the gloves and other plastics run out?"

Dr. Shannon smiled. "We are working on recycling what we can and Dr Wallace and the science department are also looking into finding suitable replacement materials. In fact, the convoy on its way back, Lt. Guzman's convoy, had this problem on its list to research. If I remember correctly, Sara McCallister was tasked with looking into this. A very smart girl, and if anyone can find a renewable source, it will be her." Elizabeth smiled as she glanced around the infirmary, missing the quick grimace on Curran's face. Sara. He shook his head quickly and pushed the memories back into darkness.

He quickly picked up the container, "I'll get this to the storage area then, ma'am. While I am at it, do you need anything moved from the back up here?"

She shook her head, "No thank you. Tim, don't forget tonight now."

"No ma'am I won't", as he headed towards the back, several dozen pairs of female eyes following him. Dr. Shannon caught the lingering looks from her nurses, and gave them a stern look to get back to work. She smiled as she turned away. Maybe he was salvageable.

Curran was totally unaware that the change in his overall behavior and the fact that he no longer indulged in his nefarious past behavior had caught the attention of the colony's single female population. The single minded focus with which he had been approaching his work, his sudden "gentlemanly behavior" towards the entire populace, females especially, when added to the fact that since his return to Terra Nova he has not been seen in the company of any women, this made for an enticing attraction, no challenge, that he was totally unaware of. A complete turnaround from his prior love them and run attitude.

Also, there was the fact that Curran was not uneasy on the eyes. Tall, about six feet, broad shoulders, short cut black hair and brown eyes that had a hint of green shooting thru them. Before he had always had an easy smile or grin on his face, when not on duty. Now, that grin and smile had been replaced with a broody, serious façade. Not scowling, not mean, just a somber seriousness that had every single woman in Terra Nova wanting to be the one that put the smile back on his face. No, his looks had never been a problem.

As he was leaving the infirmary and going over his next task in his mind, he ran his hand through his short hair, and leaned down to blot his forehead on his shirt sleeve. At the exit, he stopped suddenly, feeling a sudden tightness in between his shoulder blades. "What the hell?"

The time he had spent in the jungle after being banished and with the Sixers, plus his military training all jumped to action. He was being watched, stalked. Curran stood up straighter, awareness of his surroundings sharpening his senses. Slowly, he lowered his hand down to the side of his thigh were his weapon holster usually rested. Today it was not there, as he was not on guard duty.

Quickly, he did a quick mental scan around him; it was suddenly quiet inside the infirmary. He turned, eyes searching top to bottom, darting back and forth, trying to locate the source of danger. Nothing. Nothing at all. He frowned, and looked again. No Sixers, no visible threat, nothing that should have triggered his awareness in that fashion. There were several nurses at the front reception desk, working on plex charts, very industriously. Just then Dr. Shannon came around the corner from one of the back examination rooms, with Nurse Ogawa at her side. Her glance landed on Tim, and at his expression she handed the plex to Nurse Ogawa, and came to his side.

"Tim is there a problem?' she asked, looking concerned at his expression. Being the wife of a law enforcement officer, she knew that look. Something had happened. She placed a hand on Curran's arm, when he did not answer her. "Curran?"

He shook the uneasy feeling, "I'm not sure" he smiled at her, "It was probably nothing. I'll see you later." He left the building, leaving a puzzled Dr. Shannon behind him. Nurse Ogawa came up to her, smiling. "Dr Shannon, I know what happened." She nodded to the nurses in the reception area, still straining for a glimpse of Curran's retreating figure. Dr Shannon let out a huff, and glared at the nurses, who scattered suddenly remembered tasks in other parts of the infirmary.

She glanced at Curran, who was climbing into the Rover, totally unaware of what had just transpired inside.

Curran looked up, seeing Reynolds approaching. He tossed the apple core into a trash container at the front door, grabbed his bag and stood up.

"Ready to go," he said.

Reynolds nodded. And they headed up the street. Tomorrow was going to be interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

**I still don't own Terra Nova, nor do I profit from it. Sigh...Anyways, how do you all feel about nightmares…**

_RUN! RUN! RUN! The adrenaline flowing through his body made everything in front of him seem clearer, and every heaving breath seemed loud and crisp in his ears. RUN! RUN! The bright moonlight streamed down through the trees into the clearing, giving him a glimpse of the pathway that weaved in and out of the foliage in front of him. His feet pounded down the path, the thundering sound of his heartbeat echoing in his head, and his breath harsh and loud in the still night. RUN! RUN! The sweat was rolling down his face and into his eyes, causing them to sting. He ducked his head, trying to wipe the sweat from his face onto his sleeves without running off the pathway. He dared to cast a quick look over his shaking shoulder; nothing behind him and no one behind him. He didn't know how long he had been running down the seemingly endless path or how far he had covered. Taking a deep breath, he took off again, trying to keep a low profile in the brushes._

_Coming into a small clearing, he stopped to lean his back against a large tree, his eyes darting around the tree line, wide open for any signs of danger. His shirt was soaked with sweat and other unrecognizable smelly fluids, and it clung to his quivering body. His eyes quickly scanned the edges of the clearing again, as he tried desperately to slow and quiet his breathing. In the distance behind him, he could hear dinosaurs calling to one another, low roaring bellows pierced by one higher pitched call that sounded uncomfortably close. His vision faded into pinpoints as he felt heat rush through his body._

_"Whoa," he staggered forward into clearing, and then caught himself before he hit the ground. Now is not the time to pass out, nor the place, he cautioned himself. He paused, leaning back against a large tree as dizziness once again made his head spin. The imagines pushed forward into his consciousness and shaking his head, he shoved them back down. Not now, he would deal with them later. They had lied to him, and the others. It was just, he couldn't believe it…how had they managed to get that dinosaur into the listening post, without anyone getting killed…and where had the technician that had been there overnight gone? He stopped in the middle of the path, a frown creasing his brow at the sudden rush of memories pushed forward. Why was he just remembering all this now? A sudden roar cut through the night stillness, sounding a lot closer than before. At the sound, his right hand automatically slapped the side of his leg, searching for his weapon and holster. His hand met with nothing, no weapon, no holster. His left hand came up to his shoulder, as he turned his head to the left, seeking his communications link. Again, nothing was there. Panic rose up as he frantically looked around him, no weapons, no communication, where did they go? He had them when he left Terra Nova, he was positive of that. _

_Then, he heard it. The soft sound cut through the still night, a short snort, and a then snuffle…he froze as the terror coursed through him. He knew that sound, there was another snort, now even closer behind him…he closed his eyes, and stood up as far as he could manage in his fear. If this was the end, he was going out on his feet. He deserved this ending, after tonight and for all that had happened before, he deserved this. HIs body was trembling and the sweat was leaking down the side of his face. He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and sharply sucked it back in as a gust of hot, putrid air hit the back of his neck. _

"_Curran!" A voice cut through the night, trying to get his attention. "Curran! Tim!" _

_His body was shaking violently now, and his throat closed up. They found him, but he knew it was too late. Slowly, he started to turn and face the end. Everything inside him screamed against it, but he was powerless to stop the slow turn of his body. His brain was screaming for his body to run, to flee, to go very, very fast, away from here. His quivering body was not co-operating, frozen in place._

"_Tim! Come on, wake up!" he could hear the voice, and recognized it. Reynolds. He wished he had time to explain it all, and expose …. "Wait!.. Wake up? What?" _

_As his body finished its turn, all he could see was the wide gaping jaws and rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth in his face. He screamed…"Nnnnoooooo!" as the gaping jaws descended. _

"TIM! It's me, Mark! Wake up!" Reynolds had Curran by the shoulders, shaking him, trying to get him to respond. Curran was fighting against him, pushing him away, his breath static and choppy, chest heaving, and his eyes wide and terrified. Reynolds was having a hard time getting through to him, as Curran kept breaking free of his grasp, his panic giving him a strength he wouldn't normally have.

Finally, Mark leaned back, and swung his hand sharply, the crack of his palm connecting with the side of Tim's face echoing in the room. Tim lurched back against the wall behind the bed, eyes wide and his breathing still coming in irregular heaves. Mark kept one of his hands on Tim's shoulder, as he talked to him, his voice even and monotone, trying to reach him through the nightmare's haze. Gradually Curran's breathing was becoming increasingly steady; even through his body was still shaking and his voice was raspy.

"Okay, Mark, okay… I'm okay," he whispered, as Mark's eyebrows rose unbelievingly as he gave Curran a look of doubt at that statement. "Okay, I'm awake then," he corrected.

Mark stood, "I'll be right back with some water. You okay for a minute?" Tim nodded, "Yea," and gave a shudder. He leaned his head back against the wall, his eyes shut as he waited for Reynolds to return. His right hand reached up and grabbed his ID tag, holding onto it as if attempting to ground himself.

He breathed slowly, purposely keeping his mind blank by concentrating on the ID tag. "Here. Drink this." He opened his eyes. Mark was holding a glass of water out to him. "Thanks," he said, and took several gulps from the glass.

Mark looked at him, concern on his face. 'Did you take the medications that Dr. Shannon gave you?" Tim nodded. "I took two of them. What time is it?" He glanced past Reynolds at his alarm clock, the red digital numbers glowing red in the darkness. The indicator clicked as he looked, 4:45 AM. Tim gave a soft chuckle, thinking back to earlier. Was it just twenty four hours ago that he had been laying in bed not getting any sleep at all? He had crashed into bed at 10:00 PM, after dinner at the Shannon's, then returning to his place for a shower, and finally crashing at Mark's place for the night, before his appointment in the morning. He drained the water from the glass, and gave Mark a wry look. "I actually got some sleep, I think, before the nightmare started. How long was I out of it?"

Mark glanced at the clock, "I heard you thrashing around and muttering before you yelled. It was about 4:30 AM." He frowned, as he took in Tim's tired face. "You mean you actually got some sleep before the nightmare?"

Tim nodded, "Yeah, usually I don't sleep more than an hour, have the nightmare, and when I come out of it and calm down, I just usually lay in bed till the sun comes up.

Reynolds shook his head, "Damn." He motioned to the left side of Tim's face, "Sorry about that, man. You were fighting with me really hard." Tim rubbed the side of his face in surprise, "Ouch," he grimaced. He paused as his hand touched his face, a foggy memory surfacing. He sat like that for what seemed like an eternity to Reynolds. "Tim, what is it?" Curran gave a start, his eyes blinking quickly as he shook his head. "I don't know. It's strange, I don't know if it's a dream or a memory, or what. And it's clear when it pops into my head, but when I try to focus on it or remember it, it slips away."

Reynolds glanced at the clock, taking in the time. His head turned to one side; he took him Curran's absentmindedness, his expression blank as his fingers played with his ID tag.

"Tim, come on. Best thing for you is to get up and get moving. Let's get in a quick run, and get today started. We'll stop by the Command Center on the way back, and see if there is any news on Lt Guzman's group." He reached out for the glass, taking it from Curran, and headed out of the room. "I'll see you out front in about 10 minutes, okay?"

Curran nodded, his feet hitting the floor, his hand still toying with his ID tag. After a quick stop in the bathroom, he dressed in his running clothes and pulled on his shoes. Before tucking his ID tag inside his shirt, he activated it, pulling up the photos. The most current two photographs popped up, showing Zoe and Henry, bringing a reluctant smile to his lips. The smile faded as the last photo came onto the display, the small girl smiling up at the boy. His finger traced over the image slowly, "Victoria" he whispered. From somewhere deep in his memories, he could hear a small childish giggle and a laugh.

"Curran, let's move it!" Mark called from the other room.

He jerked, placing the tag under his shirt, "I'm coming," he glanced at the clock next to his door. 5:00 AM. He smiled, "Another day."

"CURRAN!" Tim jumped. "Come on!" Mark was starting to sound a little testy.

Curran grinned, "I'm on my way!"


End file.
